


Rescuing the Sand Princess

by venussnow



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Attempt at Humor, Short, Short Story, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29473053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venussnow/pseuds/venussnow
Summary: The Sand's princess (Temari) was kidnapped by the Akatsuki Wizard Guild, and its up to Knight captain Naruto and his team (Sakura and Shikamaru) to rescue her!ShikaTema.NOTE: This will be a short story.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Mission Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets his mission assignment and forms a team.

“He asked me to meet him here on my day off and he’s late?” Naruto asked Shizune, who had led him into the King’s throne room.

“Yes Captain.” 

Naruto sighed and sat on the ground. “You’d think I’d learn by now that he’s always late!”

“Captain please don’t speak so informally about his majesty.” 

He groaned and sat in silence for the next half hour until finally the king waltzed in with an iced coffee in one hand and a book in the other.

“Yo.” He called calmly as he walked past Naruto and sat on the elegant throne.

“Your majesty please don’t speak so informally.” Shizune whispered to the King so that only he could hear. At moments like this, she greatly missed working under the former monarch, Queen Tsunade, who radiated elegance and professionalism. Her retirement caused everyone, but especially her, a headache.

“Ah. Sorry. I’m still learning.” King Kakashi said simply before turning over to the captain.

Naruto sprung up and bowed deeply to the king, resisting the urge to tell him off for arriving so late. Kakashi had once been the head of the Knights and Naruto had worked closely with him, but that title was passed on to Naruto after the people chose Kakashi to be the next King (much to Kakashi’s dismay). 

“Naruto as you can imagine I’m still trying to gain legitimacy as King at an international level. The other Kings think that I’m...” Kakashi thought it through for a moment. “Well that I’m lazy.” Kakashi said simply and Shizune’s eyes widened and turned to look at Kakashi as if to reprimand him.

The laid-back king didn’t realize the stare and continued on in the same casual tone .“So you can imagine how happy I was to receive a request from the Sand King to have you personally go and rescue his sister who is sealed away in a tower.” 

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Gaara’s sister is in trouble?! Why are we wasting time standing around just talking here?! I have to go and help him right away!” 

Shizune cleared her throat. 

“I mean....It would be an honor to accept this mission your majesty.” Naruto quickly corrected himself and bowed.

Kakashi smiled at the man through his mask.

“May I request a team?” Naruto asked, still in that overly polite tone that didn’t suit his personality. 

“Yeah.” Kakashi said with a shrug, opening his book to read now that the mission had been assigned. 

A vein popped on Shizune’s forehead.

“I’m requesting our strongest knight Sakura Haruno and our smartest knight Shikamaru Nara to accompany me on this mission.” Naruto looked determined as he spoke.

“Granted.” Kakashi said simply, he knew that even if he denied the request Naruto would find a way to convince the two to take time off and go with him.

“Thank you!” Naruto rushed out of the room without any of the proper formalities and Shizune just sighed in frustration. 


	2. At the Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at the Sand, but somethings not quite right.

Sakura and Shikamaru loved and respected their captain, but waking up early on a Saturday to go and rescue a princess for his sake was the last thing they wanted to do.

Nevertheless, the three of them had taken off and made the three-day journey to the Sand Kingdom. When they arrived, they were surprised to find Prince Kankuro himself guarding the gate.

“Haven’t seen you in a while Naruto.” He said smiling broadly.

Naruto laughed and went to shake his hand. “That’s because you never get to leave!” He started to go past him and into the kingdom when Kankuro reached his hand out to stop him.

“Ah actually, we’re trying to keep this a secret. If the villagers saw you and realized the princess was missing, we’re worried that we’d cause a panic. That’s why I’m here with all the information you need.” 

Naruto stared at him with confusion. “But I wanted to say hi to Gaara, I mean to his majesty.”

“I’m sorry Naruto, but he’s really busy right now.” Kankuro offered an apologetic grin. “Maybe you'll see him some other time.”

Naruto sighed. The disappointment was clear. Gaara always made time to see him, if only for a moment. Back when Gaara was the crown prince he and Naruto went on many missions together, and they had developed a deep friendship. To say that he was both disappointed and surprised that he would be turned away at the gate would be an understatement.

“Right. I understand.” His voice was hurt. “What information do you have for us?” 

Kankuro took out a small note with only a crest on it.

“This is the only clue that we have. It was found in the princess’s room.”

“The Akatsuki Wizard Guild…” Naruto muttered looking over the paper.

“Akatsuki?” Sakura reached over for the paper. “This is bad.”

Shikamaru seemed lost in thought.  “Your majesty, when was the last time the princess was seen?” He asked.

Kankuro seemed surprised. “The Princess went into her room around 9:00PM on Friday night.”

Shikamaru remained expressionless. “And when was the note found?”

“I found it that same night.” Kankuro stated matter-of-factly. “As luck would have it, I went to the princess’s bedroom to ask her to review some documents for an event we were hosting the next morning.”

Shikamaru nobbed but didn’t seem convinced.

“We need to see her bedroom.” Shikamaru’s tone was cold and commanding.

“Why?” Kankuro sounded annoyed. He was royalty and he didn’t like that this knight would dare order him around. “They left their crest. She’s at the Akatsuki Wizard’s tower.”

Shikamaru said nothing as he maintained eye contact with the prince. After a moment, Shikamaru averted his gaze and bowed deeply to the prince.

“I apologize Prince, but it is imperative that we see the Princess’s bedroom to look for any possible clues. We understand that this has to be a secret, but we simply can’t go to the Akatsuki tower with no intel.”

Naruto nobbed as if it made perfect sense. Sakura looked at her teammate and raised an eyebrow. 

Kankuro thought it over for a moment and finally he let out a loud sigh.

“Fine.” He motioned for them to follow him. “We’ll sneak you three into the castle, but you’re going in absolute secrecy.” 


	3. Investigating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and the others investigate Princess Temari's room.

The princess’s bedroom was exactly as beautiful as they had all expected it to be. It was a large room with a scenic view of the village and it was decorated in such a way as to make anyone who enters it feel instantly at home. 

Especially a very tired captain who threw himself on the princess’s large bed the second they all walked in. Naruto stretched himself out on the bed and began to close his eyes.

Sakura groaned and immediately went to drag Naruto off the bed. 

Ignoring the two’s typical comedy routine, Shikamaru started to inspect the room.

“There are no signs of a break-in.” Shikamaru noted as he walked around the room.

Kankuro sighed. “Yeah. I know. There’s really nothing to see here.” He then turned to Naruto who was now on the floor rubbing the back of his head where Sakura had slapped him and frowned deeply. 

“And where did you find the note?” Shikamaru asked, regaining Kankuro’s attention. 

Kankuro pointed to a desk with neatly stacked paperwork, an open book, pens and highlighters scattered about. “It was right there on her desk.”

Shikamaru nobbed and headed over, but not before noticing that the princess had some textbooks on advising, leadership strategies, and even shogi.

At the desk, he realized she had been reading a book on horticulture, but her notes involved event planning. 

Kankuro noticed Shikamaru’s confused stare and decided to explain. “The event we were having was the grand opening of one of our new green houses.” He walked over and stared at the notes with a proud smile. “In fact, if you look at this right here…” he pointed at the princesses neat handwriting, “was exactly what I had come in here to ask her about.” 

“The princess seems rather busy.” Shikamaru stated picking up a framed picture of the princess and her two siblings. 

“Yes. She and I have full schedules, of course, not as full as the king’s.” Kankuro said simply.

Shikamaru was going to keep questioning Kankuro, but he found himself captivated by the picture.

The princess was the eldest of the siblings and she had a protective arm around both of her younger brothers. She had a broad, friendly, smile and she was looking directly at the camera. In comparison, the younger boys were looking lovingly at their sister and the King even rested his head on her shoulder.

They were obviously a close family.

“Hello?” Sakura’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought. 

She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head. “Were you listening to what I just said?” She asked slightly frustrated.

“No.” Shikamaru wasted no time trying to lie.

Sakura exhaled in frustration. “I said that I inspected the room and that there appear to be no traces of magic.” She furrowed her brow. “However, if it’s the Akatsuki guild I doubt their wizards would leave any trace of magic for me to detect.” 

“There are also no signs of a struggle.” Naruto stated, already having inspected the princess's large balcony and windows. “If someone got in here, she let them in.” 

Shikamaru turned back to the picture he was holding and stared at the picture once again.

“Hey.” Kankuro’s voice was stern. “That’s my sister you’re drooling over.” 

Sakura held back a laugh, and Naruto cleared his throat. “Shikamaru. Put the picture down.” He ordered in his professional captain voice that didn’t suit him.

Shikamaru had to resist the urge to roll his eyes and scoff. 

“I meant no disrespect…” Shikamaru began carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was upset this already frustrated prince. “I was only looking at the picture because it seems that you three have a really good relationship.”

Kankuro sneered. “ _Of course_ we have a great relationship. We’re not just his siblings, but we are the most loyal subjects to his majesty the king.”

“It seems that the King treasures you both dearly.” Shikamaru insisted.

“The King loves us just as much as he loves _all_ his people.” Kankuro looked down at Shikamaru. “It is us two that love him an exceptional amount because he is both our little brother and our King.”

“Does everyone know that you three get along so well?” Shikamaru asked, now meeting Kankuro’s glare.

“I don’t know.” Kankuro growled. “Why does it even matter?”

“If the Akatsuki took the princess, why didn’t they ask for ransom?” He tilted his head. “If they knew that the King treasured his sister, why didn’t they exploit that?”

Kankuro looked like he had the air knocked out of him. 

“I… I don’t know.” He gulped. He began to sweat and slightly tremble.

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “Y-you don’t think… that they took her out of a personal vendetta against her? Do you think they just wanted to hurt her?” His voice was in a panic. 

His shoulders were trembling. 

Shikamaru placed the picture back down in its place and spoke in a comforting tone. “Your majesty, I apologize for alarming you. The Akatsuki may have taken her and will make a demand at a later time.” 

Kankuro looked to Naruto with panic in his eyes. “Naruto, please, please find her.”

Naruto offered his signature smile. “I promise you, on my honor as a knight, that I will bring your precious sibling back.” 

The two clasped hands and Kankuro smiled, still visibly shaken up. “I trust you Naruto. You’re the best man for the job. I know you’ll bring her back.”

“You can count on me!”


	4. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru shares his suspicion with his teammate, but they think he just has a crush and refuse to listen.

“I have no idea where to start.” Naruto groaned in defeat.

The three had made their way out of the sand kingdom and were in the outskirts of town walking around aimlessly.

After a few more minutes had passed, Sakura sat graciously on the ground and turned to Shikamaru. “So are you going to tell us what you’re thinking yet or are you going to make us walk further from the Sand Kingdom?

Shikamaru smiled at his teammate and sat down next to her. 

“Hmm?” Naruto asked, seeing his teammates now both sitting on the ground. “Guys. We’re working here.” 

“Captain.” Shikamaru smiled at the man. “I got a theory, but before I tell you, you have to promise not to punch me.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow. “Why would I punch you?” He laughed. 

“Promise me first.” 

Naruto closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he thought it over. “Yeah sure whatever. Just tell me what you’re thinking.”

Shikamaru smirked. “The Sand is lying to us. I suspect they’re trying to set us up.”

True to his promise, Naruto resisted the urge to punch Shikamaru right in the face. He could hardly believe that his subordinate had gotten up the courage to insult, not just the person that hired them, but his captain’s childhood friend, the Leaf Kingdom’s closest ally, and a King of a powerful country.

“You better have a good reason for saying such a stupid thing Shikamaru.” His voice was stern. 

“Captain, didn’t you think it was strange to see Kankuro at the gate?” Shikamaru was careful with each word. “Moreover, don’t you think it’s suspicious that there was no sign of a break-in in the princess’s bedroom?”

Naruto sighed in frustration. “Of course I don’t think it’s suspicious. They aren’t going to cause a panic and this is the Akatsuki guild we’re talking about here. They  _ never _ leave a trace.”

Shikamaru shook his head. “Think it over carefully…”

He ran a hand through his hair. “The princess herself isn’t just a pretty face.” He looked up into the sky. “She had an extensive collection of books, ranging from guidance to leadership, she is an event planner, a political figure, an--”

“So what does you having the hots for the princess have anything to do with this?!” Naruto interrupted him, clearly frustrated.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “I’m not saying this because I like her I’m saying this because--”

“It kind of does sound like you like her.” Sakura interrupted them this time, with a smile on her face.

Naruto laughed. “Yeah.” He made a bored expression to mirror Shikamaru’s. “Not only is she pretty but she likes all the stuff I like.”

Sakura and Naruto bursted out into laughter. Shikamaru stared at his teammates and sighed.

“Listen, I don’t even know her. I’m just trying to say that if a prominent political figure is kidnapped they’d make a request, they wouldn’t just kidnap her for fun!”

“Not necessarily.” Sakura was serious again. “If she’s a political figure, they could kidnap her as part of a personal vendetta. Maybe they hated one of her policies? Maybe they wanted to cause a panic.”

“True, but Kankuro…” Shikamaru looked to Naruto and stopped talking.

“Say it.” Naruto promised. “I won’t get angry.”

“Kankuro was acting. He didn’t consider that there would be a ransom for the princess. I don’t think the princess is actually in any danger.” Shikamaru sighed. “Which means we’re walking into a trap.”

The three of them stared at each other in silence absorbing what Shikamaru had just said. 

“He didn’t lie.” Naruto said finally, standing up and dusting himself off.

“He’s worried about his sister whose locked up in the Akatsuki wizard tower.” Naruto’s blue eyes shone. “I trust him. I trust Gaara. I trust the Sand.” 

Shikamaru knew that there was nothing else he could say. 

“Fine.” He stood up too and Sakura quickly followed. 

“Okay, then where should we start?” Sakura asked, smiling at Naruto sweetly. She wanted to follow Shikamaru’s theory, especially since she had a tendency to doubt Naruto, but she knew that when it came to sheer instinct, Naruto was the man she had to trust. 

“I have no idea!” Naruto said simply then he turned to Shikamaru. “I need you to get us to the tower Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru sighed again for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“OK, well their location is hidden, so we’d need someone with insider information on the tower. It could be anyone, but because of how secretive the organization is it may be impossible to find someone like that.” He shrugged. “I guess we could head to the library and… why are you two smiling at each other like that?”

Sakura and Naruto had turned to each other with bright smiles.

“Well you see…” Sakura couldn’t hold in her giggles.

Naruto’s eyes were bright and he had a smile on his face that Shikamaru hadn’t seen in years. 

“We know of someone with a connection to the tower!” Sakura was squealing with joy.

“Oh… oh no.” Realization hit Shikamaru all too late. “Not that guy.”

“Listen. I know he’s… difficult, but I’m sure that deep down--”

“He tried to kill you Naruto.” Shikamaru interrupted.

“Very _ very _ deep down,” Naruto continued. “He has good in him and he will help us find the tower.”

Sakura and Naruto exchanged smiles.

“Fine.” Shikamaru knew this would end badly. “Where is he then?”

“Huh?” Sakura and Naruto asked at the same time.

“Where is he?” Shikamaru repeated clearly.

“Ah I have no idea.” Naruto shrugged. “But that doesn’t matter because he’s trying to kill me right now so we just have to advertise my location and  _ he’ll  _ find  _ us _ .”


	5. The Sorceror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've lured out the powerful sorceror, but he's not exactly helpful.

Shikamaru knew this was a bad idea. 

He was standing on a podium, in the market town, in his full knight uniform, holding a big stupid sign that said that Naruto’s team was recruiting.

Sakura was passing out flyers, using her brute strength to force the papers into the hands of the villagers that tried to avoid her.

Meanwhile, Naruto, his well-respected captain, arguably the most powerful man in the five kingdoms, was… 

Shikamaru sighed. He felt his face blush with second-hand embarrassment because the man he most respected was laying down next to him pretending to be injured. 

Naruto wrapped a bandage around his head, removed his armor, his weapons, and pretended to cough occasionally.

It was not convincing.

The people walking by would side-eye them and avoided them all-together. They had been doing this ridiculous charade for hours, but no one had approached them. 

Shikamaru had told them to go to the market for information, but he had never imagined that he’d have to do any of this.

He was just about to try and convince Naruto to stop, when he heard a familiar voice.

“You’re not fooling anyone, idiot.” Sasuke’s voice made Naruto stand up immediately. He smiled and waved at the man before them.

Sasuke had three people with him who all seemed to be about his age wearing similar clothing. The three of them looked just as bored as Sasuke himself.

“I knew you’d come!” Naruto said as he began dressing. He signaled for Shikamaru to drop the sign and started calling Sakura over.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. “You do realize I’m here to kill you, right?”

“You always say that.” Naruto said simply, already back in full gear. 

Once he was dressed a flash of lightning hit the podium next to Naruto and set it ablaze.

“A wizard!” One of the villagers screamed in panic.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered something underneath his breath.

The rest of the people in the market, saw Sasuke and immediately realized he was dangerous, pretty soon the entire market was filled with panic as people scurried out and left.

In the midst of the chaos, Sakura had arrived and she stood next to Shikamaru to guard their captain who was staring in awe at the podium. The two drew their weapons and stared down at Sasuke.

Seeing that the two knights had their swords, Sasuke’s team quickly began to pull out their weapons but Sasuke stopped them. 

“There’s no reason for you three to get involved.”

“But Sasuke, there’s three of them...” Karin’s voice was filled with concern.

“I’m more than enough to handle these three.” He tilted his head and aimed with his hand again. “That was a warning shot. Hand over Naruto and I’ll spare you two.”

“Sasuke…” Sakura’s voice was filled with dread. “Please don’t do this. Just come back home.” 

He fired again right at Sakura before she even got the chance to finish speaking. If it hadn’t been for Naruto dragging her out of the way at the last moment, the lightning would have gone right through her chest.

“Bastard!” Naruto was angry, but he still wasn’t aiming his weapon against Sasuke. 

“I told you. Let me kill you and no one else will get hurt.”

He lifted his hand again to fire, but Naruto rushed out at him and shoved him, misdirecting his shot so that it struck the stage itself, blasting it and setting it on fire. Sakura and Shikamaru were flown out of it once the lightning struck it and Sasuke’s team was thrown off in the blast of the explosion. 

“Die already!” Sasuke said, annoyed and punching at the blond.

“Come back home!” Naruto punched him back and the two started fist fighting in the middle of the market.

Suigetsu used his water magic to start putting out the fire, and the others rushed to find water to stop the fire. In the midst of it all, Naruto and Sasuke continued to fist fight. 

“I hate it when he gets like this.” Suigetsu muttered.

“HEY! Don’t complain!” Karin screamed, using her healing magic to allow Suigetsu to strengthen his water.

Jugo showed up carrying six buckets, and Sakura showed up with 10. 

Shikamaru showed up about 3 minutes later with a hose. 

The five of them quickly put out the fire, and they were all disappointed to see their captains still fighting, now pulling each other’s hair and kicking at each other’s faces.

“NOT HIS FACE BLONDIE! THAT’S MINE!” Karin screamed, rushing over. 

“Yours?!” Sakura screamed back, her usually rational personality was always out the window when it came to Sasuke. She ran after the woman. 

“Is your captain always like that?” Suigetsu asked Shikamaru, as he watched the two women rush at the two fighting idiots.

“Pretty much.” He shrugged. “Yours?”

“No. He’s usually a lot cooler. Right?” Suigetsu turned to Jugo who nodded in agreement. 

“But he really needs to kill your captain to make this potion that’ll make him more powerful than his brother, so I don't think he’s thinking clearly.” 

“Whose his brother?” Shikamaru asked, already knowing the answer.

“Itachi. He’s in the Akatsuki guild.” 

“Do you know where that is?” Shikamaru asked casually.

“Yeah man.” The man rustled for something in his pocket. “I got a map.” 

He opened it up for Shikamaru to see. “You can’t touch it, but you can see it.”

Shikamaru took one look at it and memorized the map. “How did you get this?”

“Ah. Sasuke’s planning to go there as soon as he kills your captain.”

The two refocused on the fight only to see Karin looking smug and holding on to Sasuke and Sakura holding back Naruto, who has a big red handprint on his cheek. 

“Why’d you let her hit me you stupid wizard?!” Naruto was screaming at Sasuke.

Sasuke had his arms crossed and he lightly shoved Karin off his shoulder. “I told her not to get involved.” 

Then Sasuke, as if realizing something for the first time, turned to glare at Naruto. “And I told you already you stupid squire i’m a _sorceror_ **NOT** a _wizard_! I’m nothing like those stupid wizards!”

“I’m CAPTAIN now NOT a squire!” Naruto screamed back. “And no one knows what the difference between sorcerer and wizard is anyways!”

The two started fighting again, and they broke free and went to punch at each other’s faces.

Shikamaru turned to Suigetsu. “Know how to stop this? I don’t usually go on missions with the captain.”

“Oh.” Suigetsu nobbed simply. “Yeah I’ve been Sasuke’s apprentice for a while now and I can stop them any time.” 

Shikamaru eyed him suspiciously. “Why haven’t you stopped them yet, then?”

“Ah because I’m waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

Suddenly a loud, powerful, thud was heard. Shikamaru turned to see that Naruto had used his wind magic and had punched Sasuke right in the gut, sending him flying a couple of feet. Sasuke landed, clearly in pain, but he stood up and started at him with renowned strength and his arm glowing with lightning.

Suigetsu was laughing. “Naruto always gets one really good punch in!” He said, pulling out a small potion.

“Sasuke!” Suigetsu screamed. “We don’t have time for this! We have a mission!” He dashed over to him and Jugo followed. Sasuke ignored him and continued fighting Naruto.

Karin sighed. “I forgot that that stupid masked man asked us to find the demond.” 

“A demon?” Sakura asked simply.

“Mind your business!” Karin snapped at the woman, she grabbed the potion from Suigetsu’s arm, and aimed it at Sasuke who was now choking Naruto.

“OK boys get ready. Same routine as always” She said simply, tossing the vial at Sasuke who caught it and turned to them with an annoyed expression. 

“Sasuke, baby, we have to go.” Karin said sweetly and Suigetsu made a gagging expression. 

“Don’t talk to me like that.” Sasuke said momentarily distracted, and immediately he received a punch to the face from Naruto who was now on his feet. Sasuke leered at him, but just as he was about to start the fight again Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo grabbed him and opened the vial in his hand. 

Sasuke looked up in annoyance as his team started to teleport. 

“I’ll kill you next time.” Sasuke said with a menacing tone. “This isn’t over you stupid squire.”

“Oh shut up and come back home you’d be one of our strongest wizards!” Naruto pleaded one last time.

“I’m a sorcerer!” He yelled as the team disappeared into the smoke of the vial.

“Well… that ended as usual.” Naruto said, wiping the blood off his mouth. “I think he’s coming around now though because he usually pulls out a sword on me.”

“Well since this was a failure, what are we going to do now?” Sakura asked, slapping the back of Naruto’s head.

“I got the address guys.” Shikamaru approached the two.

“You did?” Sakura was overcome with joy.

“Yeah, but you won’t like this.” He sighed again. “There’s two towers.”


	6. Princess?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru each have their own way of finding the princess.

“OK so we just check both.” Naruto said casually, rubbing the back of his head where Sakura had slapped him. “Or we can split into two teams.” 

Shikamaru sighed. “We don’t have time to search them both, and if we split up we won’t be strong enough to take on the Akatsuki guild.”

“Why don’t you start by telling us how you know all of this and where the two towers are?” Sakura asked, back in her usual reassuring tone. 

“Right. Sasuke’s apprentice had a map and he let me see it. The first tower is in the Rain Kingdom, that’ll be the longest trip. The second tower is actually close by in the Lightning Kingdom, but from what I saw that’s not their main tower.” 

“Hmm…” Sakura frowned. “I guess we should check the land of Rain first.” She sighed. “Or well if I kidnapped a princess I’d take her to the nearest tower to avoid being seen.” 

“If I wanted something in return for the princess, I’d take her to the closest one.” Shikamaru reasoned. “If I had a grudge, the furthest, and if it really is a trap the way I think it is, then they’d expect us to find the closer one first.”

Naruto shoved Shikamaru. “It’s not a trap!” He crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

Shikamaru and Sakura saw him as he struggled dramatically. He opened and closed his mouth. Groaned in frustration. Ran a hand through his hair. Then, finally, he screamed. “WE’RE GOING TO THE NEAREST TOWER!” 

The teammates nobbed. Shikamaru smiled, visibly impressed. “Of course. No matter how you think it over inspecting the nearest tower is the most rational option. We could also send word from there to the Leaf Kingdom if she’s not there, we’re prepared for the weather there, it makes no sense to go through the long journey to the rain and then to come back here. Besides, like you said, there’s no time to waste.”

Shikamaru patted his captain on the back.

Naruto blushed slightly and rubbed a finger underneath his nose. “Well I am the captain! They don’t give this title to just anyone! Hahaha!”

“Right so let’s get going.” He patted his back and started walking away.

Sakura approached Naruto who was staring dumbfoundedly after Shikamaru. “Hey Naruto.” She whispered. “How did you  _ actually _ know to go to the land of Lightning?” 

“Oh, I picked at random. I counted to 30 and screamed what came to me first.” He whispered back with a smile. “But don’t tell Shikamaru, I’ve never seen him so impressed with me before.”

\----------

The Land of Lightning had beautiful mountains, hot springs, and was known as a tourist hot spot. It was impressive to think that the Akatsuki wizard guild had found a way to hide their location in such a busy area. The map that Shikamaru had memorized showed them that the tower was in the Valley of the Clouds, a water-filled hot spring where tourists gathered to relax, but Shikamaru wasn’t sure about how to get to the tower itself because of the foggy terrain.

“Our best bet is to split up and ask around in the tourist areas.” Shikamaru suggested. 

“Ask?” Naruto shook his head. “I don’t have time to ask!” He pulled off the heavier part of his armor and got a vial from his pocket. “I’m going to find that tower right now and I’m going to bring her back today!” He chugged the vile and then suddenly four clones of Naruto appeared. “We’re finding her now!” They said running out into four different directions. 

Shikamaru sighed. “Sakura, are you going to help me ask around?”

Sakura, however, had started chasing after the original Naruto. "GET BACK HERE YOU LOUSY CAPTAIN! WE CAN’T JUST RUN AROUND WITHOUT A PLAN!”

Shikamaru sighed again. 

“Guess I’m asking alone.”

\-------

Shikamaru went over what he knew briefly in his head and decided that the first place he’d ask would be the herb stand located at the base of the most popular hot spring.

The wizards were in constant battles. If they stopped by here, they’d purchase supplies at the tourist locations to merge in with large crowds and to avoid being remembered by shopkeepers. The most common item that potions needed were herbs. 

“Excuse me. I’m looking for someone and I’m willing to pay you for inform-”

“Listen. Like I told your partner, I don’t know anything about anyone.” The man then turned his back on him and refused to look at him. 

“Tsk.” Shikamaru rolled his eyes.  _ Maybe Sakura did come to help me after all. _ He thought as he inspected the area.  _ Ok if the herb dealer won’t talk then my next stop should be… _

He found a small stand with medical supplies near the area. He smiled at the shopkeeper and tried to be slightly more polite this time. “Excuse me, would you be able to offer me some info-”

The shopkeepers face turned pale. “I told the blond already that I didn’t know anything!” He said through gritted teeth. 

“Blond?” Shikamaru asked bewildered. “What did-”

“This conversation is over. Get away from me.” The shopkeeper pulled the blind and closed shop. 

Shikamaru looked around, and almost as if on cue, the other shop owners pulled down their blinds. 

He sighed in frustration. _What did that blond idiot captain of mine tell them?_ He wondered sadly. He looked around, and he saw a new shop.

He smiled to himself.  _ If they’re new here they may be more willing to talk _ . 

With new found motivation he walked into the ice cream shop, but he was immediately taken back by what he saw.

“Princess?” Shikamaru said in bewilderment. “What are you doing here?”


	7. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue the Princess!

The princess turned around immediately and eyed Shikamaru with suspicion.

He saw a look of deep annoyance on her face, but within moments she composed her expression and let out a loud, loving laugh. 

“Oh honey!”

She had been standing at the counter, with an ice cream cone in hand, about to pay the teenager. 

The cashier lifted an eyebrow and stared at the two with confusion.

She smiled broadly at the teenager at the counter and turned back to face Shikamaru. 

“I told you not to call me that in public, baby.” She had that same broad smile Shikamaru had seen in the picture. “It embarrasses me!”

She had her hand on her hip and she sounded frustrated, but playful.

Shikamaru stared at her in awe, unable to process the situation before him.

As if it was the most natural thing to her, she turned back to the teenager and leaned on the counter. “He’s so cheesy, he never learns.” She sighed. “But I guess I can’t complain.” She winked at the kid who was now deeply studying her facial features. “You’ll know one day when you’re older what I mean!” 

Shikamaru came to his senses in that moment and assessed the situation before him.

The princess didn't need rescuing.

The princess was free.

She was in civilian clothing.

Hell, she was eating ice cream.

She had either escaped the Akatsuki and was on the run, or she had never been captured in the fist place.

Shikamaru’s gut told him it was the latter.

He didn’t trust her.

He approached her with hesitation, careful to keep his eyes on her and to be mindful of his surroundings. 

“I’m sorry. The shock from seeing you made me forget my manners.” His tone was serious. He had no intention of playing along with her little game.

She laughed, warmly and softly. “Now you’re too formal!” She turned back to the teen. “He’ll have the same thing I’m having.” 

“Princess?” The boy was now eyeing her suspiciously. “You do look familiar.” He mumbled.

The princess tilted her head and raised an eyebrow back at the boy. “Are you calling me princess?” She asked in a playful tone.

The teenager blushed. “No! I would never!” He waved his hands desperately. “Not to say you’re not princess-like, but I mean- I’m not trying to...what I meant is you do look familiar and I thought… I’ve seen you somewhere.” 

The princess’s expression stayed the same with a friendly smile on her face as she listened to the teen with amusement, but no matter how controlled her expression was it seemed that the kid was about to figure out who she was at any moment.

Shikamru knew what he had to do, but he didn’t like it. 

“Kid.” 

The teenager stopped talking and turned to look at Shikamaru who was now slightly behind the princess. “Stop flirting with my girlfriend and get me a scoop.” His voice didn’t sound convincing at all.

His tone wasn’t jealous, wasn’t angry, it was flat.

He sounded incredibly annoyed.

The princess shrugged at his reaction and turned to look at the kid as if to say “ _what can you do?_ ” 

She stepped aside and let Shikamaru stand at the counter.

The kid stared at the man in confusion, but ultimately went to work. 

“Sorry sir.” The boy quickly got him a scoop, and started to ring him up. “That’ll be $10 for both.”

Shikamaru went to reach into his pocket when he heard the bell from the door chime. 

“Hey Kid.”

“Yes sir?”

“Did she leave?”

“Yes sir. She ran out.”

“And let me guess, you don’t have change for $50 on hand?”

“No sir.”

He sighed.

The princess was already very troublesome.


	8. If I were a princess...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May edit this piece later

* * *

Shikamaru stood outside of the ice cream shop, with an ice cream cone in hand, and forty dollars less.

He figured that the princess would be easy to catch, but he was now outside of the store and the princess was nowhere in sight.

He sighed.

_If I was a princess playing hookie, where would I go?_ He wondered.

_Shopping? To go visit one of the spas?_

The last shop owner he had spoke to suddenly pulled open his blind, and started setting up for business again.

Shikamaru remembered what he had told him just moments ago: _“I told the blond already that I didn’t know anything!”_

The blond.

Before the man saw him, Shikamaru rushed to his side and quickly asked, "the blond you said came to ask you questions, did he have a buzz cut?”

The shop owner was startled, but ultimately he raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru. “The blond?” He pursed his lips. “Oh! That’s who you were looking for!” He said with obvious relief.

“No. It was a blond girl that was asking me questions.”

He finished setting up and furrowed his brow. “Did the buzz cut blond have a bandage on his arm?”

Shikamaru smiled at the man. “Yes.”

“I saw two of him running off that way towards the mountain.” He pointed east, past the tall buildings behind them where the ice cream was located.

“When did he pass by?” Shikamaru continued interrogating the man.

“Hmmm…” He crossed his arms. “I guess about an hour ago, but honestly I lost track of time. It could have been more.”

Shikamaru thanked the man and went to go sit at a table outside of the ice cream store to think over what he had just learned.

_A blond girl was asking around about the Akatsuki? That must be the princess._ He thought bitterly.

_OK so if I was a princess… trying to find information on the Akatsuki, what would I do?_

He furrowed his brow and sighed in frustration.

_Obviously what I would do would be to stay with the Leaf Kingdom knight that miraculously found me. But this princess ran away from me._

He finished his ice cream at this point and leaned back into his chair to stare at the clouds. There was a pleasant shadow casted by the newly built complex. Shikamaru closed his eyes and felt a gentle breeze that was progressively getting stronger.

He needed to think of something quickly before her trail got more difficult to find.

_OK so if I was a princess trying to find information on the Akatsuki that didn’t want to work with the Leaf… No. That didn’t want to work with **me** , what would I do?_

His eyes followed a cloud as it floated out of his vision behind the tall building.

He was just about to sigh again when a simple realization struck him.

_If I was a princess trying to find information abou thte Akatsuki that cuoldn’t trust anyone, not even a man in a knight uniform, I’d find the most trustworthy knight._   
_Naruto!_

_I need to find Naruto!_

He stood up and was about to make his way towards the mountain when he remembered, the princess didn’t get to speak to the shop owner. There’s no way she’d know that Naruto went off towards the eastern mountains.

_So then, if I was a princess trying to find Naruto what would I do?_

A cool breeze passed through and it made Shikamaru shiver.

_I need to get out of the shadow of this giant building_ , he thought standing up preparing to leave.

_This… giant building._

He stopped walking.

_This giant building that oversees the whole kingdom!_

With motivation unbefitting of his character he climbed up to the roof of the building. It was surprisingly easy to climb, it had almost no security, and the door to the roof was unlocked.

Just as he had suspected, when he opened the door he saw the princess standing over the rail of the roof looking east.

Her back was turned to him, and seeing her so on the edge of the building made Shikamaru feel uneasy.

She hadn’t noticed his presence at all at this point, and he noted that there was nowhere for her to go. The next building was at least 6 feet away, and it was obvious that she wasn’t expecting anyone to find her up here.

A million questions ran through his head. _Why did you leave the Sand?_ _Why are you here_? _Why did you run away from me_? _What is going on?_

He could have asked her anything, but still all he could say was:

“Hey Princess. You owe me $40.”


	9. Such a Drag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Temari and Shikamaru officially meet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to write about 4 more chapters. I plan to finish them this March, but I'm not entirely sure that's a realistic timeline.

The Princess let out a deep sigh and then, with obvious hesitation, she turned back to look at Shikamaru.

“Repeat that. I dare you.” She glared at him.

 _She’s scary._ Shikamaru thought instinctively. 

He felt slightly embarrassed by what he had just said. 

Asking a princess for money wasn’t exactly a classy move, but Shikamaru figured he wasn’t exactly a classy guy.

“I said you owe me 40 bucks.” He repeated firmly.

“Are you kidding me?” The Princess’s voice was angry. The care-free smile she had at the ice cream shop was long gone. “You’ve got some nerve talking to me like that.”

 _Ugh_ . Shikamaru thought, _She’s spunky. I hate spunky girls_.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. 

“You’re the one that was joking around with _me_ back there.” He frowned. “And because of your stupid little dating game I had to pay for the ice cream.”

She scoffed and sat down on the rail, her legs hanging off the edge. “Didn’t think a Leaf kingdom knight would be such a whiny baby. Are you all like this?” The wind picked up then, and blew through her hair.

“I’m just trying to get my hard-earned money back from a rich girl.” He said simply. He was trying to act like her words weren’t annoying him, but he was failing. “If you don’t like Leaf knights, then take it up with your brother. He’s the one that begged us to rescue you.” 

The wind picked up once more and Shikamaru got nervous seeing the thin girl hanging so casually off the rail.

“Call me Temari.” Her voice was stern and commanding. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the raging wind, but otherwise she seemed unafraid on the ledge. “And you can just get lost now.” 

_She wants me to get lost? Is she kidding me?_ Shikamaru wondered.

She waved him goodbye. “As you can see, I’m free. No need to rescue me .”

“Sorry to disappoint you _Princess_ ,” he said, emphasizing that he ignored her command, “ but I’m not about to quit my mission just because you asked me to so politely.” His voice was thick with sarcasm. “And besides what kind of man would I be if I just left a princess all by herself?”

She laughed mockingly. “I didn’t take you as the gentlemanly type!” She shooed him off with her hand again. “I don’t repeat myself.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Do you even understand the situation that you’re in?”

That caught her attention. She turned back to smile mockingly at him. “Oh? And what situation am I in? Care to explain it to me?”

Shikamaru responded immediately. “Well you’re free, but you’re not going to be able to get home on your own. Besides, if anyone discovers who you are, you could get kidnapped all over again. Not to mention that it’s likely that you’re still being targeted by the Akatsuki. If I were you, I’d be a good little princess and just come with me--”

“Did I ask for your opinion?”

“What?” Shikamaru’s mouth unconsciously hung open. 

“I said explain the situation you think I’m in. That’s all.” The amusement in her voice was gone.

 _Ugh. She really_ **_is_ ** _scary. What a drag._ Shikamaru crossed his arms, feigning being bored.

She stood up then, placing her feet on the small edge. 

“Be careful.” Shikamaru said instinctively, uncrossing his arms and reaching out for her. 

He started walking towards her, but then a strong wind picked up and made Shikamaru stop in his tracks. By reflex he put up both of his arms to shield his eyes from the dust that had been picked up by the strong gust of wind.

The wind was accompanied by a loud, rumbling, thunder.

“Huh. Wrong one, but I guess he’ll do.” Temari said mostly to herself. She was still standing expertly on the edge of the building, unphased by the wind, and without bothering to look back at Shikamaru she jumped off the ledge.

Shikamaru let out a scream as he saw her effortlessly jump and land on the ledge of the building next to them. 

He sighed with relief.

“Did I scare you?” The princess asked, now sitting on the ledge of the building next to them.

“No.” His voice was stern.

“You sure sounded like you were scared.” She was mocking him.

He scoffed. “I’m not going to stand around here arguing with you like some girl.” 

He approached the ledge and looked down. It was about a six foot jump and if she had fallen that’d have been the end of her. 

_What kind of person just jumps off a ledge like this?_ Shikamaru thought. _She doesn’t mess around. What a terrifying woman._

He hadn’t noticed, but there was a smile on his face.

When he looked up again, the Princess was already walking away.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He mumbled to himself. He sighed. He hated screaming. “Princess! Get back here!”

“You said no standing around!” She had that mocking tone again. She turned to wave at him one last time. “Bye-bye leaf knight!”

“Typical girl always has to have the last word.” He gulped. 

He didn’t want to do this, but he couldn’t let her get away. 

He sat on the edge of the rail, and slowly placed his legs on the ledge. 

Temari stopped walking and watched him shakily make his way over the rail. 

“You’re not going to make it.” She said it matter of factly.

“I’m not letting a girl show me up.” Shikamaru smiled at her and without much thought he leaped over the ledge towards the building. 

Unlike Temari, who had effortlessly landed on her feet, Shikamaru barely caught the ledge with his hands and his legs dangled off the building.

Normally, he could have easily pulled himself up, but a strong gust of wind hit and he started to slip.

He felt his fingers going numb, and just as he lost his grip and began to fall, Temari grabbed him by the arms and began pulling him up.

She was on the opposite side of the rail, her legs steadily planted on the ground, and her slender arms going in between the bars of the rail. She had a firm grip on him, and with Temari’s help Shikamaru was able to get his legs on the ledge. 

When Temari let go of his arms he quickly grabbed the rail and hurled himself to the other side. 

He landed on the floor, his heart was racing, and he was slightly shivering.

 _I fell._ He thought, still slightly trembling from the experience. _If Temari hadn’t been able to pull me up, that’d have been the end of me._

He looked up to look at Temari who was looking down at him with her hand on her hip and an arrogant smile.

 _She doesn’t even look tired_ . Shikamaru thought in disbelief. _She pulled me up and she isn’t even tired? What kind of girl is this?_

Temari scoffed. “Look at you. Crying.” She smirked. “I thought you said you were a manly-man. Was it an act?”

 _Crying_? Shikamaru felt his face. He had a tear.

He sighed. 

“Stop trying to provoke me. I told you already. I’m not fighting a girl.” He stood up and peered down at her. “Besides, what kind of person jumps off the ledge of a building?”

To Shikamaru’s surprise, Temari laughed wholeheartedly at his comment. “Like you’re one to judge. Didn’t you jump right after me?” 

Shikamaru’s mouth hung open again. 

Temari noticed and laughed smugly. “And I saved you.” She made eye contact and stared him down from her angle. “Thank me.” 

_This princess is scary. Reckless. And the most straightforward woman I’ve ever met in my life but..._

He laughed and smiled down at the princess.

_But yeah she’s right. I’m grateful._

“You want me to thank _you_? I wouldn’t have fallen off the edge if it wasn’t for you.”

“Typical man. Prideful to a fault.” She looked away and scanned the area. 

“Well if you’re willing to die chasing after me I’ll let you be my escort, but….” The playful tone of her was gone in an instant. “If you don’t learn some manners quickly when talking to me, falling will be the least of your worries.”

Shikamaru sighed. 

He had gotten what he wanted, he was now the Princess’s escort but...

“God. This is going to be such a drag.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Will update next week.


End file.
